“No compromise on quality sir”, that’s what the salesman said to sell you the new bike. But troubles that arrive within the first kilometers were few and moving over to 1,000 kilometer was a bit of a gamble which we eventually lost.
Usually, when I am looking out for a used car, I will compromise on minor problems if I am getting a good deal but when we’re on the look out for something new, we damn very well make sure that we are getting something which for the next two to three years will run smooth as a knife on butter.
When PW member Silver_Knife bought for himself a new Pakistani assembled bike “Ravi Piaggio”, the quality wasn’t even on par but he put up against the loosened nuts and bolts, fuel gauge and the noise from chain cover thinking to himself that it’s a Pakistani built bike so we can’t have A grade quality however, down the road problems further awaited him on his bike.
Reaching just 300 KMs on the bike, Silver_Knife went for an oil change as the engine was making a lot of noise so he at 520 KMs, he went to a mechanic to tighten the tappets, however, PW member chery1 suggested that tappets should not be tightened at this point in a new bike.
Another day, another set of troubles, first his bike’s accelerator wire broke and then the chain cover got stuck so bad that it didn’t allow the tyres to move so he removed the cover and put up in his bag.
But it isn’t all that bad either, now a lot of Ravi Piaggio buyers have reported such troubles in their bikes so the parts of the bike, which are imported from China and than assembled in Pakistan aren’t bad at quality however, problems relating to assembling should be addressed and strict quality control measures should be in place as bikes aren’t exactly for rich people for their joy rides, especially bikes as such, to avoid the negative impact on the brand, the company must ensure strict quality control on their assembly line to build a solid customer following.
It takes quite an effort to earn 83,000 rupees when you are from middle class and even a lot more effort, rather courage is required to spend so much on purchasing a brand new bike. But when you come to know of problems like loose nuts, bolts and noise from chain, etc. and stuff like that from your brand new bike– you are left to wonder if there is any way you can claim return of your money. The answer is a big NO.
In our country there is no check on quality control of products. Be it bike market or something else, we always have a limited choice so we have to compromise on a specific product considering our preference i.e., whether we want to spend less or go for the one best available. When Piaggio launched their bike, they too must have stepped in the business with a certain mindset, obviously to compete other competitors in the market and earn a good name to be listed among the top sellers somewhere in future, but I am afraid, that companies that do not tend to look to their loopholes have no future anywhere in the world. Some time ago, a Piaggio owner complained of vibrating fuel gauge while the bike is running and if the latest model is reported with a similar issue, a customer like me would question what improvement has been made to this new model?
Times have changed though less seem to be aware. The Consumers Rights Law now ensures that the rights of consumers are protected. A customer who is not satisfied with a purchased item or the service of a mechanic, doctor or even a lawyer can file his application to the Consumer Protection Court. The law is simple so every one may easily benefit. Just file a complaint to the concerned court along with the receipt of the purchased item or the service you got and claim damages. Many have already benefited from this new law and interestingly the first case in the history of our country was a complaint about bad quality brand new tyres. The applicant/complainant was awarded his claimed Rs. 20,000/-
Improvement does not occur within a nightfall and a sun rise, it takes time provided we feel and realize that there is a great room for improvement.
We ain’t have much choices when talking about 2 wheelerz in our country…. even the high rate doesnt match the quality and all you take home when buying a brand new product is a set of troubles!! Whether its suzuki, honda, DYL or the locally assembled low priced bikes, i alwayz found a list of complains and had to visit the warantee claim centres again n again!!
nice bikes
my dream bike.
Is it Available in 2013 Models 23 or 24 Chase.